英文摘要 |
Purposes: Traumatic brain injury changes the patient’s physiological and psychological state, and subsequent care requires considerable manpower, material, and financial resources, significantly impacting families and society. The objective of this study is to explore the experiences of family caregivers in caring for patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Methods: A qualitative study design using purposive sampling was used. The family caregivers of patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury who had been discharged from amedical center in central Taiwan at least six months were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Interviews and data collection were conducted from August 9, 2020, to February 22, 2021. Content analysis was carried out from August 11, 2020, to June 7, 2021. Seven family caregivers completed the interviews, and data saturation was reached. Results: Three major themes and ten categories were extracted from the data: The first theme,“going around in circles in the current situation,”comprised three categories: at aloss, running around, and not knowing how to care for patients. The second theme,“being in adilemma,”included antagonism, tough care tasks, and lack of sleep. The third theme,“displaying resilience,”included categories such as humor, self-adjustment, choosing to believe, and gratitude. Conclusions: The results show the difficulties faced by family caregivers of traumatic brain injury patients and how they must be resilient to overcome this tough journey. Healthcare professionals should understand that resilience is an important psychosocial resource for individuals who encounter amajor life event and adversity. Family caregivers must be included in the treatment plan, and mental health promotion programs should be used to cultivate resilience. This will allow families to overcome difficulties and resume astable life. |